Although Google Allo failed to make an impressive start as expected, the messaging app is getting an update in a hope to grab more audience. The new update Allo 2.0 brings Nougat split-screen support and quick reply from notifications.

To list a few more changes in Allo 2.0, there is a support for toggling chats to monochrome, a direct voice recognition in Google Assistant, splash screen, GIF support in the keyboard, app shortcuts, and direct share. The newly added features target to enable the users to take a full advantage of Android 7.0 Nougat’s feature set.

To recall, Google Allo was first unveiled at Google I/O 2016 and was later launched in September. Allo took a space in personal IM arena, primarily with its Google Assistant feature. It is tied to your phone number and hence, saves the user from creating an account or typing a password. Allo also integrates Incognito Mode chats, meaning it provides end-to-end encryption, discreet notifications, and message expiration. Otherwise, the chats in Allo are TLS encrypted.

The quick reply enables the users to respond to messages with just a tap. As mentioned above, the new update enables users to make use of this quick reply even from the notifications. Smart Reply will also suggest responses for photos. To say, in response to an image, the user can find suggestions like “aww cute!” or “haha”, etc.

Allo also played a little with emojis and stickers, that the user can make emojis and text larger or smaller in size by simply dragging the “send” button up or down. Users can make images more interactive by scribbling on them as well. Google Allo still have more features to look forward.